Murder of a Laborer.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3563, 16 July 1890, Page 2

Murder of a Laborer.

Melbourne, July 2. , A shocking murder was committed ' at Gemlrook on Sunday evening. j It appears that two labouring men 0 mimed Ooninghaine and Olson, B Btrftl, S ers t0 the locality, called at the Geinbrook hotel at about 2 p.mi 1 on Sunday. Each had a loaded tfiS.' in his hand, They obtained refresh- ; inents and drink, having convinced the landlord that they had walked f ' over statutory distance in their chase , of rabbits; and remained about tha hpuso all. the afternoon, ' About, dusk 3 the landlord, a young man, turned ( them out of the house, and at 6 p.m. .the report of a gun, fired close by j caused the landlord, his brother, and a storekeeper to rush oiifc to ascertain ; the cause, They saw Olsen lying his J fulNength on the ground, his com- ( panion standing overLim, brandishing j a gun, and threatening to shoot any- . ono who attempted to approach near | to them, Tho man lying ott tho<w ground appeared lo be dead. ™ The- landlord and his companr ions- fled at once to the nearest neighbour's house, a farmer residing . aoouthalfamilo distant, The farmer ' sent a messenger to Constable Cowie at Pakenhnm, eighteen miles away nud it seems that Olsen wag allowed to lie on the road where ho fell, without anyone attempting to see if h& was really dead until the constable arrived some hours after, As soon as .. it was daylight .Constable CowieV started in search of the murderor, audP from a vague hint thrown out, instead of scouring the dense bush, the constab o started along the road to Lillydale, and came up with Coninght me. The latter admitted at onca that he was aware of his mate's death but denied all knowledge of the murder. His story was, that afters morning spout in the rangos be and Olsen went to tho Gembrook Hotel for a drink, and after being thrown out, sent a man who wub passing into the hotel for 2s Gd worth of whiskey. Ooninghamo says that when they had • drunk this tho stranger left them, and he himself being very drunk, made his * way into the hotel and lay down to W sleep, He wokn in the mornin?, and going outside saw Olson lying dead on the road, and set off at once for English's farm to give information of the murder. Coninghamo professes himself unablo to form any story of how the murder occurred. Olsen alive when he went into hotel in tho evening, and from that tuno until ho found his body on the road next day everything is a blank. That he is innocent of Olsen's death ' ho solemnly declares, nor can he suggest any explanation whatever of it. Ei appears quite unconcerned, and preserves an air of the utmost confidence, Coninghamo is a youßg, strongly built man of about twentysix years of age, and has somewhat of the appearance of a sailor, Olsen was apparently about fifty years o£ age, a foreigner, and evidently acoustomed to bush lifo. Nothing whatever is known of the previous history of either.